


In Love and Rebellion

by violasarecool



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Multi, swpolyamoryweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-24
Updated: 2016-04-24
Packaged: 2018-06-04 07:06:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6647137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violasarecool/pseuds/violasarecool
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>when anakin puts together a team to help the onderon rebels, instead of obi-wan (as in canon), luminara volunteers to accompany him with her padawan barriss. written for star wars poly week: "day 7 // april 24th - free choice"</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Love and Rebellion

**Author's Note:**

> bc why love triangles when it could be poly

It was late at night when the Jedi council was called to assemble. Anakin and Ahsoka stood in front of the Council as Lux and another man explained their situation: that their old king had been overthrown by a man aligned with the Separatists, that rebels had formed to combat him, that they lacked sufficient firepower, that they needed the help of the Jedi. As the transmission ended, Lux glanced at Ahsoka, and she gave him a subtle nod. If these people needed their help, she was more than prepared to give it.

Obi-wan seemed less convinced. "What you're suggesting would open up dangerous possibilities," Obi-wan said. "And we must not train terrorists."

Anakin made a noise of disagreement. "Rebels."

"How we conduct war is what distinguishes us from others. Funding rebels to overthrow a legitimate government puts innocent lives at risk."

"We can minimize collateral damage by using arms that mainly affect droids," Anakin said.

_Droid poppers,_ Ahsoka thought. _Good one, master._ Considering that the vast majority of the empire's forces were droids, they could easily avoid harming civilians that way.

"The least we can do is help them defend themselves, test the tactic while we're at it," Mace Windu said, looking at Yoda.

"Hm. Train and observe. Send advisors, we will," Yoda said. He looked troubled, though.

"I'll assemble a team," Anakin said.

"I would accompany you, but I'm afraid I have business here to attend to," Obiwan said.

Anakin shot him an amused look. "On Coruscant? You're not playing at politics, are you?"

"No, thankfully; I'd make a terrible politician."

Ahsoka repressed a smile. Actually, she was fairly sure that in another life, Obi-wan could have been a politician. He'd just hate every minute of it.

"My padawan and I will go with you," Luminara said, and Anakin glanced at her, surprised. "She has not had sufficient practical training as of late."

_Barriss,_ Ahsoka thought. It had been a while since they'd gone on a mission together.

Anakin inclined his head to Luminara. "Your experience will be a welcome addition, Master Unduli."

"Then settled, it is," Yoda said. "Go, and may the Force be with you."

* * *

They landed at the drop zone, most of the group quickly scaling the nearest tree to continue their path out of sight, while Anakin and Rex forged ahead on the ground. Ahsoka glanced down now and then at the thick foliage around, watching for other life forms even as she leapt across gaps between thick tree branches. _Like a kriffing lemur,_ she imagined Rex saying, and she supressed a laugh.

They hadn't gotten very far before Ahsoka began to sense something ahead, multiple somethings. Then, there was a whinnying sound from below, and she skidded to a stop, leaning out from a branch to find the source of the noise.

Anakin stood in front of a girl on some kind of four-legged beast; it reared in front of him, and Anakin took a wary step back. "Stay where you are," the girl commanded. Anakin turned as another of the creatures appeared behind him, and now Ahsoka could see more movement in the long grass around them.

_These must be the rebels,_ Ahsoka thought.

Anakin turned back to the first rebel. "Identify yourselves," she said, and Anakin reached up, pushed back his hood.

"It's alright. We're friends."

"Jedi," she said, and Ahsoka could hear the wonder in her voice. There was a rustling in the trees, and Ahsoka glanced over to see Barriss standing on a branch not far away, eyebrows raised in a silent question. Ahsoka shrugged, and leapt forward, landing lightly beside Anakin. Barriss and Luminara joined them seconds later.

Ahsoka flipped back her own hood, looking the rebel girl in the eye for the first time. "I'm Commander Tano. We're here to help you take back your planet."

Now that she was close enough to make out her face, Ahsoka noted that the rebel standing in front of her was about her own age. "My name is Steela," she said, giving Ahsoka an appraising look; Ahsoka met her gaze evenly, and the other nodded slightly, seeming satisfied. "I'll guide you to our secret base."

* * *

They followed their new guide through the forest, flanked at the rear by two rebels riding the large beasts. "They're called Dalgo," Steela said, as she dismounted to lead the group on foot.

Ahsoka glanced curiously at the creatures' crested heads and long rust-coloured bodies. "Are they wild?" she asked, noting the pair of sharp fangs jutting out from their mouths.

"Well, they used to be. They're native to Onderon, but they can be tamed. I wouldn't get on their bad side, though," she said dryly, "they're carnivores."

"Got it," Ahsoka said.

As a large stone arch loomed into view, Steela held up a hand motioning them to stop, and she glanced around, checking the area before she continued, pressing ahead to lead. As they approached, there were several animal screeches, and Ahsoka saw a large reptilian creature flap up to land on the top of the stone arch, a man on its back. Beyond, clumps of rebels sat on broken chunks of stone, chattering amongst themselves, laughter echoing in the open space.

"They _do_ look like they need our help," Ahsoka murmured, noting the very unguarded looks on some of their faces as they turned to look at the newcomers. Most of them were probably untrained civilians.

Anakin nodded, unfazed. "That's why I brought Rex."

"They're not exactly what I would call shinies," Rex said, "but I can work with them."

The reptilian creature on the arch launched into the air, flapping down to meet them. The man on its back hopped to the ground, moving to stand beside Steela, and Ahsoka recognized him as the man from the transmission. His face angular face read a mix of determination and pride, one not dissimilar to that of the girl standing beside him. "General Skywalker," he said, and Anakin gave a half bow.

"At your service. This is General Unduli, Commanders Tano and Offee, and Captain Rex," he said, gesturing to each of them in turn.

"Saw," the other man replied. "Saw Gerrerra."

"My brother," Steela added, and Ahsoka raised her eyebrows, glancing between them as Steela punched him on the arm, their faces drawn up in matching grins. _Yeah, definitely siblings._

"We're lookin' forward to taking the fight to those scrappin' droids," Saw said.

"All in good time," Luminara said cautiously. "First, we will work on your training."

* * *

It was hard work, turning the rebels into a force to reckon with. Even setting aside their lack of experience, they simply didn't have the discipline that Clones or Jedi did. Ahsoka watched as Rex directed a small group through the steps involved in taking down a tank. Their movements were clumsy and disorderly, and they didn't take well to criticism.

They also seemed to lack the instinct for working together. Ahsoka laughed quietly as Lux flailed for a handhold on top of the tank, before losing his footing and crashing into Saw, sending them both tumbling to the ground. He scrambled off the other man, and Saw gave him a dirty look and a few words Ahsoka didn't catch before stalking off. _Oops,_ Ahsoka thought, as Lux walked away, shoulders hunched.

There was a cry of frustration from one of the rebels in the group in front of her, and she turned back to them. A woman standing a few feet away watched dejectedly as a droid popper rolled slowly back from the droideka's shield. "Keep trying," Ahsoka said, "it'll get easier with practise."

The woman sighed. "Ok."

Farther away, Barriss was helping Steela. "You have to roll it slowly, or it will bounce off the shield," Barriss explained.

"Right." Steela reached back, and tossed a popper at the droid they'd set up to practise. It bounced along the ground far too quickly, pinging against the shield.

"You're moving your wrist too much," Barriss said, taking another droid popper. She held it out to Steela, then as the other girl took it, Barriss stepped behind her, taking her hand. "Small movements," she said, guiding Steela's arm through a short practise arc.

Steela turned her head towards Barriss; Ahsoka could no longer see her expression from where she was standing, but when Barriss stepped away a moment later, she was blushing. _That's new,_ she thought, staring.

Steela took aim at the droid, and threw the popper, rolling it neatly through the shield.

"Good throw!" Ahsoka called, and Steela looked back at her with a triumphant grin.

"Thanks!" She said something to Barriss that Ahsoka didn't catch; Barriss smiled, nodding. Then, someone touched her shoulder, and she turned and saw Lux standing beside her.

"Hey, Ahsoka, I have a question," Lux said, rolling a droid popper between his palms.

"Hey," she said, "what's up?"

"Since we've just been practising throwing the poppers without activating them, I was wondering: Once we've primed the popper, how long until it goes off?"

"About four seconds," Ahsoka said. She watched as one of the rebels threw a popper far too high, wincing as it whacked against the droid's shield. "Don't worry, if you immediately follow through with your throw, it'll make it through the shield with plenty of time to spare."

Lux weighed the droid popper in his hand. "Alright."

"Let's see how you're doing," Ahsoka said, crossing her arms, and Lux nodded, taking aim at a droid. He gently tossed the droid popper, and it rolled across the ground, too slowly, coming to a stop feet ahead of the shield.

"Dammit," he muttered.

"That's the right idea, you just need a little more force," Ahsoka said.

"Easy for you to say, Jedi," Steela said as she walked over to them, followed by Barriss.

"Hah hah," Ahsoka said, giving her an amused glance, "not _that_ kind of force."

"I bet it helps, though," Lux said ruefully, reaching for another droid popper.

"Sometimes," Ahsoka admitted. "But nothing can replace a good throwing arm."

"Luckily, you've got both," Steela said, giving her wiry arms an appreciative look.

Ahsoka glanced at her uncertainly, her face warm. "Thanks?"

Beside her, Lux gave a cry of frustration as his popper bounced off the shield. "Apparently I've got too much throwing arm."

Steela snorted. "Lux, you've got next to _no_ throwing arm."

"You just need to be more accurate," Ahsoka said patiently, but Lux wasn't paying attention.

"I have a decent throwing arm," he protested, holding up the droid popper, "look."

She shook her head. "You're practically a twig." She raised her arm, flexing her impressive biceps as Lux wound back to toss the popper again; he glanced her way halfway into his throw and promptly dropped it. Steela covered her mouth with one hand, laughing as he bent to pick it up, his face scarlet.

" _Someone's_ distracted," Ahsoka murmured to Barris, and they exchanged an amused look.

"Less chatter, more work," Anakin called from a few feet away, arms crossed as he stood by another group of rebels.

" _Yes,_ master," Ahsoka said, rolling her eyes.

* * *

They were setting up for target practise when things turned bad.

"A head shot is the only decisive way to disable a droid," Rex said. "They don't need arms, legs, or even _bodies_ to pass intel to central command." He stepped back motioning to Steela, who stood at the front of the line of rebels."Shoot at will."

Steela raised her gun, peering down the barrel at the droid heads. Then, she frowned, an expression different from the look of concentration Ahsoka had already begun to be accustomed to.

"What is it?" Ahsoka asked, glancing from her to the targets.

"Droids," Steela said. "We're under attack!"

Ahsoka leapt up onto a nearby barrel, scanning the dense foliage; seconds later, droids pushed out into the open, and then the air was alight with lasers. Ahsoka dove to the ground, igniting her lightsabers as she leapt to her feet. Behind her, she heard the crackle of Anakin and Barriss's lightsabers, Luminara just feet away. She ran back to where Lux and Steela had taken up position behind a pile of crates, deflecting lasers with her sabers as the other two fired on the oncoming troops.

"What's the plan?" Lux asked, as Barriss joined Ahsoka in deflecting shots.

"There's too many, we'll handle this. We'll take the left flank," Ahsoka said, looking at Barriss, who nodded. "Anakin's closer to the right." She looked over at Anakin, stationed a few yards away beside Rex, and a handful of rebels. _Master._ He glanced over at her, and she motioned with her hand to the left. Anakin nodded, pointing at his group, then motioned to the right. "Alright, let's―"

"No." Luminara said, and Ahsoka turned her head to see her standing in a defensive stance just feet away. "We can only protect them. They must fight their own war."

"Yes, master," Barriss murmured, shooting Ahsoka a helpless look.

Ahsoka looked back at Barriss's master. "Understood, Master Luminara," she said reluctantly.

"Good." Luminara turned, and ran over to Anakin, putting a hand on his shoulder as she murmured something in his ear.

"Looks like it's time to put our training to use, then," Steela said. She swivelled around, glancing about for her brother. "Saw," she called, and he turned toward her. "Use your disruptors to take out those droids."

He nodded. "I'm on it." He turned toward the other rebels, issuing commands, and they moved wide, gathering the disruptors. "On my mark," he said, watching the droids approach. "Now!" he shouted, and they tossed the disruptors into the fray. Moments later, they exploded, smoke billowing into the air. When it the air cleared, most of the droids lay in pieces. Steela fired off a few shots, taking down the stragglers.

"Nice job," Ahsoka said.

"Wait," Barriss said, pointing ahead. "There's more." Ahead, a large tank rumbled out of the forest, its turret gun aimed at the group of rebels in the centre.

"Oh no," Ahsoka muttered, and then she was running towards them. "Move!" she shouted, pushing several forward, and they scattered as the tank fired, the ground exploding around them. Ahsoka leapt and rolled out of the way, coming up into a defensive position as the dust cleared. Around her, the ground continued to erupt with its heavy blasts while lasers filled the air, a new wave of droids ahead of the approaching tank. _There's too many,_ Ahsoka realized, looking around her. She clenched her hands around her lightsabers, ready to leap into the fray. Then, there was a rumbling sound behind her, and she turned.

Dozens of pack animals ran past them, and she watched, amazed, as they crashed through the droid forces, breaking through them like cheap packing material. She looked around for the others, and saw Steela fire on the last paddock, setting the rest of the Duros and other creatures free. They locked eyes, and Steela gave her a thumbs up. Ahsoka smiled, and nodded. _Clever._

Ahead, however, the tank still rolled forward. _Time to test your droid poppers,_ she thought, searching the crowd for Lux. She spotted him crouched behind a pile of crates, Saw next to him; sure enough, they were each armed with a small metal device. Moments later, they ducked out from behind the crates and ran towards the tank. She watched with some trepidation as Saw went for the lower hatch, Lux scaling the tank to toss a popper into the open hatch on top. _Close the hatch,_ she thought, but he was already hopping down and away.

"Lux!" she shouted, "the hatch!" He stared at her, uncomprehending. Then, even as she prepared to run over herself, the hatch closed with a clang, seemingly of its own accord. Ahsoka looked around in confusion, then saw Barriss running back from the tank. _Good._ Seconds later, the tank exploded in a burst of flame. Ahsoka turned her head, coughing as smoke enveloped them.

She watched as the dust settled; a figure ran past, Steela, and she dropped to her knees beside Saw and Lux, checking to make sure they were ok. When both figures sat up, no worse for wear, she looked around, and saw Barriss stirring, feet away. "You alright? That was good timing, back there," Steela said, walking over to her to offer her a hand up.

"Thanks," Barriss said, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. "But you did all the real work," she said to Lux and Saw. "You've learned well."

"Thank you," Lux said. "That was a good idea, letting the pack animals loose," he said to Steela, as Ahsoka walked over to join them.

"Oh, sure, except now we have to go and find them," Saw said dryly.

Steela narrowed her eyes. "Oh, come on, it worked, didn't it?"

"I'm joking," he said, grinning. "It was a good idea."

"You all did well," Ahsoka said, and they turned towards her. "You should be proud."

"Thanks to your training," Lux said, giving her a warm look.

"We couldn't have done it without you," Steela added, and there was an intensity to her gaze that Ahsoka was unaccustomed to.

"I'm glad we could help," Ahsoka replied, an unspoken question in the look she gave Steela. After a moment, Steela looked away.

"We need to get you three cleaned up," Steela said, looking at Barriss, then Lux and Saw, "you're _covered_ in ash."

"We _did_ just blow up a tank," Saw said, grinning. "Besides," he said, looking at Lux, "I like it. Makes this kid look like more of a soldier."

"Thanks," Lux said with a smile.

Ahsoka glanced behind them; Anakin stood, arms crossed, next to Rex and Luminara. "You fought well," Anakin called, his voice carrying over the murmurs of the rebels. "But this is only the beginning."

"I think that's 'cut the chatter and come plan our next move'," Ahsoka said with a rueful grin, as clumps of rebels began to gather around Anakin.

"I don't know about you," Steela said, glancing at Lux as they walked toward Anakin, "but I have a good feeling about this."

"I do too," he said.

"The separatists are gonna regret messing with us," Saw said, leaning an arm on Steela's shoulder.

Anakin gave Saw an approving look as they came to stop beside Rex and Luminara. "They certainly will."


End file.
